Blood and Water
by CUIntheair
Summary: A deeper look into Adam Milligan and his relationship with his mother. Blood is thicker than water, but when the water is tears...  Hope you like it! Plz Review!
1. Chapter 1 Instincts

Chapter One- Insticts

It was true, he was an intense little kid. He was seven years old, and within a glance you could see such forceful personality and life. He was his father's son, and already had the untamed quality of the Winchesters. He absently twirled his pocket knife as he walked back from school. He heard the growl of a familiar engine coming up the road and stopped. The old vehicle came up to the sidewalk for him to get in, and Adam pulled open the sliding door of the minivan and hopped in.

His name was not always Adam Milligan, his mother had believed that John was coming back to her someday and named him Adam Winchester. The boy was four years old before the name was changed. At this point, Adam remembered going through the switch but could never bring to mind his old last name. Thinking about it frustrated him, causing his little pocket knife to swing faster through his small hands. Adam paced his room trying to remember, jumping when the door opened unexpectedly. He tried, but was not fast enough. "What are you doing with that! WHERE did you find it?" She ran up and took the blade. It was a small knife, but almost seemed to fit his size. That was why he liked it so much. He had found it hidden in his mother's desk, an iron knife, a last memento of John Winchester. Not that his youngest son knew that, but he knew he liked something about that knife.

Adam took after his father's side of the family more than his mother liked. He looked like John, he laughed like John, he had a fondness for Led Zeppelin and weapons, and he was obsessed with monster movies (though they never seemed to actually scare him). HIs mother did her best to keep him away from any and all of those influences. She put him into every after school club and sport, trying to get him to grow up into a grounded adult. She really did smother the little boy. He told her one day that he wanted to be a hero. He wanted to save people. She told him to be a doctor. John had never once called her over the years, and she made it her mission to stamp out any Winchester qualities the boy had. Though Adam didn't understand it, he knew his mother didn't like something about him. He was seven years old and already resented her. This went on until he was fourteen. Until the day that put everything into perspective with Adam and his mom. The day that little Adam found out exactly how far people were willing to go... for family.


	2. Chapter 2 Light Reading

2- Some Light Reading

Fourteen is an angry age. It's when you really start trying to become your own person. Adults in your life are not used to your personal exploration, and those damn hormones don't help anyone's patience. This time is especially hard if you have a mother that fights against you every step of the way.

All his life Adam knew his mother was keeping something from him. He knew she was trying to change who he naturally was, but he also knew she'd never tell him why. At fourteen years old, this knowledge was like the Hindenberg a moment before the blast. Add that to his social life at school and it was a miracle Adam hadn't ended up in therapy yet. Not saying that people didn't like the blue-eyed boy, but he didn't tend to like people. In his interactions with others his age he couldn't help but notice how small minded they were, how oblivious most were to their surroundings. Adults weren't much better, they watched the news but that was about the only improvement. People went happily along with what they accepted the world to be. Adam was happy they had such innocence, but he didn't. Something inside of Adam told him to keep his eyes open, his guard up, and his knife on hand.

Adam had grown up to be good at nearly everything. He was smart, athletic, brave, and could BS most people into telling him anything. At fourteen years old he felt he was ready to face whatever it was that most people missed, with an open mind and a smart-ass comment. His spare time was filled with reading about the unexplained and unnatural, but it never came. He had been waiting for _something _for years, and his belief in the supernatural had started to fade. Though he didn't know it Windom, Minnesota was protected. His little town was being watched over by a man Adam had little knowledge of, or faith in.

Adam got home from another uneventful day at school, to find his mother in his room. This was never a good sign.

Kate Milligan had always been a frail spirit. She hated seeing things in pain, and could hardly get through the _first _half of titanic before crying. But over the years of frustration and resentment with her only child, she had a tendency to loose her mind temporarily. There she stood in the very center of his room with books all around her, blonde hair wild, tears streaming. When Adam stepped into the doorway, a particularly large and heavy book introduced itself to the far wall as his mother threw it with surprising force. Her meltdowns were very occasional and soon over, but they could get pretty heated. Adam threw his arms up in front of him, "Whoa, whoa, Mom! What happened?"

"What HAPPENED?" she bent over and picked up another book, shaking it at him. "That's what I should be asking you!" Pages went flying, bindings screaming in protest. "What did I ever do WRONG?" Adam watched as his mother threw her hands in the air, letting shreds of paper go so that it almost looked like New Years confetti. The room was silent for a moment except for her heavy breathing and the rustle of paper settling. When she spoke next, her hands were clasped under her chin and her voice was soft. Adam was leaning against the doorframe waiting it all out, but she wasn't quite done. "was it the late nights? I'm sorry Hon. I know my hours are hard on you. Is it your father? Did he tell you anything? Because I already told you he's unbalanced." Adam straightened himself and crossed his arms in front of him. "Mom, I can't answer your questions until you tell me what is upsetting you." Adam already knew what was wrong but he also knew the only way to settle down his mother was to play dumb, and try not to get upset. The comment about his father hadn't helped the situation much, it was a sore spot for him.

Kate hung her head like a child. Adam couldn't help but cringe when she got like this, it hardly ever happened and she did have a lot of stress in her life, but she was his _mother_ for crying out loud, he was the teenager. It was supposed to be _him _throwing a fit. Adam could tell she was already calming down. "Adam, I found these books in your room. I know you want your privacy, but Mrs. Roth down the street found drugs in her daughter's room. I was just making sure you didn't have any of that nasty stuff. But I found these books, hidden all over the place. Adam why are you reading these?" She picked up an old, stained copy of 'Cold Spots: Are You Really Alone?' One of Adam's favorites. It went into detail about how to find out if you are experiencing a haunting or just faulty wiring and a bad AC. It even included famous haunting stories and either debunked them or corroborated them. Adam knew his mother was against any thing that wasn't directly associated with the absolutely normal. She almost reminded him of the aunt on Harry Potter. Almost. "Mom, I like scary movies. You told me I should read more. I'm reading." Kate gathered up the few books that were still in one piece and left the room. As she walked past him she asked, "You haven't heard from your father have you?" She stared him down as he answered (quite honestly), "No, what does that have to do with it?" But she left without another word.

Once he was alone, Adam picked up the mangled pieces of his books, carefully placing the pile in one corner. He then started pacing in his room, thinking hard and spinning his knife. His mother had long ago taken the first little iron knife from him and either gotten rid of it or hid it very well. This was a much larger knife. It looked old and, again was iron. It was a birthday present from his father, John Winchester. Adam spun the knife faster and faster, passing it between his hands as he paced a familiar path around his room. When he finally fell asleep, his knife was still clasped in his hand, under his pillow. He had no idea he had a big brother that slept the same way.

That night, Adam had a dream about his father.


	3. Chapter 3 The Dream Part 1

Chapter 3- Dreams Part 1

"_**When I want you, all I have to do is dream..."- **__The Everly Brothers_

There was little difference between the dream and his memories. The dream was just more condensed. Adam had had this dream before. It began shortly before his twelfth birthday.

"What do you want for your birthday, Adam?" his mom asked him as she laced up her white nurse sneakers. He had just gotten home from school and she was late for her shift at the hospital, but she still took the time to ask him. Adam smiled at his mother and said, "I don't really care Mom, birthdays are for little kids anyway." She smiled down at him and kissed him on the head before leaving for the night. The sound of their six door locks clicked after her. The eleven year old walked into the kitchen, pulled out a can of spaghettio's and a step stool and began to cook himself dinner.

Truthfully there were two things that Adam wanted for his birthday, but he knew better than to even bother asking. First, he had just recently seen the cartoon version of Robin Hood (the animal one where Robin is a fox), and Adam wanted a bow and arrow set. He didn't even care if it was plastic with rubber plunger arrow tips. But Adam knew his mother's opinion on weapons of any kind, and had he suggested it she would have pitched a fit. There was one other thing that Adam wanted for his birthday, but he was afraid to ask.

Whenever Adam visited other people's houses he noticed that mother's got to stay home, and dad's only worked during the day. Adam wanted that. He wanted someone to balance out his mother's neurotic tendencies, someone that helped her stress level go down. He knew that she never got enough sleep, and he blamed her job for a lot of problems between them. He assumed that she kept taking his knife away because she saw people injured in the ER all the time. Adam wanted a dad for his birthday, but he was getting old enough to understand that it wasn't that easy. He knew that, somewhere out there, he had a father. His mother must have loved him. She hadn't ever mentioned him to Adam, maybe she had never mentioned Adam to him? Adam thought about how his mother didn't seem to like certain things about him. A vague memory of a different name floated through his mind, and Adam thought that maybe his father would accept him. For his birthday, Adam decided to ask about his dad.

The dream transitioned to a few days later, the morning of his birthday. Shortly after Adam woke up, as his mother was just coming home from a long night at the hospital. Adam was at the door with her immediately, a determined look on his face. "Happy Birthday, honey." Kate said tiredly. Adam was on a mission, however, "Mom, who is my dad?" The weariness on his mother's face seemed to disappear, leaving only panic behind. Adam didn't understand what was wrong, he had never seen his mother like this. He had only seen her uptight and overprotective or worn out, but now she looked terrified. "Why would you ask that?" Adam resisted the urge to fidget with his knife (he had only just found it from his mother's new hiding place). "Mommy, it's my birthday, and I just want to know about my dad." The boy hardly ever acted like the child he was, and it was his use of "Mommy" for the first time in years that broke through her defenses more than anything.

After his mother's very brief summary of John Winchester, Adam asked her if John knew about him. His mother glared down at him, "I'm not going to lie to you Adam. No, he doesn't. We don't need him. You're better off without him."

The dream shifted again, skimming over the next few weeks of Adam's relentless tirade against his mother. The boy was exhibiting classic Winchester stubbornness, and there was no end in sight. Eventually Kate Milligan was forced to pull out an old, torn piece of motel stationary. On it, written in cramped, dark handwriting was a phone number. Just a number, no name accompanying it. "There is no guaranteeing that he still uses this number, Adam. If it doesn't work, I have no other way of getting in contact with him. So pestering me won't help." The look on her face clearly stated that she didn't want the number to work. As Adam watched his mother slowly dial, he held his breath. Adam leaned in, hearing a faint ringing. When it had happened it seemed surreal, now in the dream it seemed beyond comprehension. Adam pressed his ear against the side of the phone, trying to hear.

After two rings a gruff voice answered. "Hello?" Kate stood up, bringing the phone away from Adam. "John? This is Kate Milligan." Adam couldn't hear John's reply. He stood, arms crossed in front of him trying to contain himself. He listened to his mother talking, "John, this is hard to tell you... No, nothing like that. ... well if you'd listen long enough to let me tell you...I understand your in the middle of a job...John, you have a son. ... His name is Adam and he just turned twelve." Adam had not heard John's side of the call until now. The gruffness had increased into a terrifying sound emanating from the reciever in his mother's hand. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" Though the sound seemed quiet to Adam, he could tell John was yelling. He could also hear both sides of the conversation now. His dad finally knew about him. "KATE! How could you DO this?" His mother no longer showed any signs of fatigue, she had a fire in her eyes that Adam had never seen. "John, I was doing what I thought was best... If you must know, I'm telling you now because he asked about you...No I don't think that is a good idea." John once again made an audible reply, "IF HE IS MY _SON_ YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO KEEP HIM FROM ME!" Kate looked down at Adam for the first time in this exchange. "Adam, do you want to talk to him?"


	4. Chapter 4 The Dream Part 2

Chapter Four- Dreams Part 2

This part of the dream was always Adam's favorite.

Adam jumped at the phone, reaching as far as he could. The phone seemed to weigh twenty pounds as he brought it to his ear. "Daddy?" He couldn't help it, his voice broke, making him sound even younger than he was.

"Hey Adam. Heard you just had a birthday." The gravel seemed to leave John's voice when he spoke to Adam. "I'm sorry I didn't know in time, so I didn't get you a present. What about if I came up there and let you pick your own present out?"

Adam could feel a lump in his throat forming. He nodded his head, then realized that his dad couldn't hear him, "I don't need a present, but it'd be really cool if you came to visit, Dad."

That next morning the doorbell rang, and there stood a man Adam knew immediately was his father.

Adam could not believe his eyes. His dad looked nothing short of _cool_. John Winchester seemed to just radiate a level of bad-ass. It wasn't just the denim jacket, or the travel-worn appearance. It was something in his dad's eyes that showed how much John had seen in his life. But none of it seemed to matter to John. From the moment Adam had opened the door, he knew that his father really did love him. John bent down to talk to his son.

"Hey Adam. We talked on the phone last night." Adam leaped forward, putting his arms around his dad's neck in their first hug. John returned the hug, standing up and squeezing the air out of the boy's lungs. Tears ran down both of their faces. It was understood immediately that they were father and son.

Adam's mom slept most of the day, but she woke up to say hello to John. She then gave him permission to spend the day with Adam. There were some conditions attached, but Adam didn't hear what they were. His mother seemed scared of John Winchester. She seemed scared of John the same way she was disapproving of Adam. The boy knew right off the bat that he was a lot like his father. As they walked towards the door, Adam couldn't take his eyes off the man. From his heavy boots and the scruffy face, John Winchester was beyond the well-ordered suburban dads, Adam couldn't help but be proud that this was his father. Truly, he wouldn't have cared if the man was a timid accountant or a lion tamer, he just wanted a dad, but John was exactly what he had pictured his father to be.

John hardly ever got uneasy, and never got nervous, but he was both right now. This was his child. He knew it, and hated himself for missing so much of Adam's life. He looked down at his son, at those big, blue eyes staring back at him, a look of hero-worship on the little face. John couldn't help but hug Adam right off the bat, and knew that, if he let himself, he'd hug his son all day. He had had a very short, quietly heated conversation with Kate about what he was and wasn't allowed to say to the boy, including a time limit on how long John could stay. John hadn't planned on staying long, he knew Kate wouldn't lie that the boy was his, but John believed that Adam could have a normal life with her. Adam could grow up safely. That was more than he could ever promise. Now John was going through a silent debate in his head as to whether or not he should introduce Adam to Sam and Dean. No, he thought, Adam has a safe life and the less interaction he has with me and his brothers, the safer he will stay. Everything in John's heart told him to bring Adam with him, but his head told him to leave the boy with his mother, and stay away. It hurt more than he could bear, but John decided that it was best for his son, if he wasn't around.

They walked outside, and Adam found out that his dad drove the coolest car he had ever seen. He looked back up to his dad. He couldn't get over this. This was a better birthday present than Adam could have ever thought up. His dad was here, and John was staring at Adam as much as Adam stared at him. The best part was that there was no disappointment in his father's stare, his mother had never looked at him so happily.

As John drove Adam through Windom, he had a tape playing Bad Company quietly. He explained to Adam that it was quite possibly the only band that had a self titled song on a self titled album. John told Adam a lot that day. About music, cars, movies. It was obvious even to the little boy that John knew he couldn't stay long, and he was trying to get as much accomplished with his son as possible. John asked Adam a lot of questions as well, all about himself. He radiated approval when he found out that Adam did well in school, liked scary movies, and only got in fights when he was defending himself or his mother's honor. They ate lunch at a local diner (the same place Adam would eventually meet his brothers) and walked around Adam's block in the afternoon. Adam felt comfortable around his dad, even enough to pull out his knife and show his father how well he could spin it. He was surprised when John was not only impressed, but even showed him a few tricks with his own knife. It was the best day Adam had ever had, and when John said that it was time to bring Adam home, the little boy asked his dad if he could stay too. John said,

"No, Adam, I can't stay. As much as I'd like to, I have to go tonight."

The goodbye was tearful on both parts, Adam couldn't believe that he was losing his father again so quickly. John had been so accepting of him; the scary movies, the knife, the occasional fights at school. It would make his mother's attempts at removing those things from him all the more painful. Adam felt his resentment for his mother increase, and felt the first flicker of anger at his father. Then he looked up and saw the heartbreak on his dad's face and the anger was gone. John wrote down his phone number before he left, telling Adam that no matter what the problem was, he could always call his dad.

The dream ended with the roar of the Impala fading into the ugly beeping of Adam's alarm clock.

Author's Note: I don't normally like to add these as I believe they take a person out of the story, but this time I feel I need to explain. Though it is Adam's dreaming that allows us to see this part of his life, we see a little of John Winchester's thoughts. That is not within the dream, but rather it is what John was thinking at that time. I know, I shouldn't have added it continuity-wise, but I felt that we needed to see John's thought process. So please don't burn me at the stake for adding someone else's thoughts to Adam's dream, call it creative license.


	5. Chapter 5 That Morning

Chapter 5- That Morning

Adam slapped his alarm grumpily. Cursing himself for not turn turning it off for Saturday. He rubbed the sleep and nostalgia from his eyes. It had been more than two years and he had only seen John Winchester twice since that first meeting, both times had been for his birthday, and there was a phone call on Christmas. It was almost cruel, but Adam loved it. With every visit his dad gave him a small window into having a parent that understood him. The only downside was every time John left, it got progressively harder for Adam to deal with his mother. At first, he had thought that his dad would stay. He had soon figured out that his mother only hated certain things about Adam because they reminded her of his dad. There had been a short time where Adam thought if John came back to her, she would accept him. He let out a loud yawn, dispelling his thoughts about his parental issues.

Adam got dressed sluggishly. He pulled on his jeans, and took his time looking for his favorite Metallica shirt. He smiled at the thought of his mother's peeved look, she hated this shirt. He made sure his knife was hidden in his jeans pocket before going downstairs for breakfast. His mother gave him a stern glance as he poured his cereal, and Adam smiled internally.

"I thought you got rid of that thing?" Kate Milligan tried to mask her frustration. She had known Adam's teen years would be hard.

"What gave you that idea?" Adam asked cheerfully. He knew she had thrown the shirt away, he had had to go dumpster-diving for it. It took four washes and a borrowed cigarette to get the smell out. Now the shirt smelled like ashes, and though Adam didn't smoke he preferred the ashes to garbage. After he had retrieved it, the only thing stopping him from angrily confronting his mom was thinking about the look on her face. It had definitely been worth it. She even twitched a little bit. Adam knew he was horrible for doing this to her. He'd make up for it by cleaning the house when she went to sleep. One of the perks to having a nocturnal mother, every time he pissed her off he had all day to do something nice. It also helped that she was never around long enough to enforce a grounding.

"Adam, you need to clean your room after breakfast. I'm going to the grocery store, so don't play that God-awful music. I don't want to get another angry call from the neighbors about the noise." Kate stifled a yawn, she was usually asleep by then. Adam walked over to the radio on the counter, switching it from his mother's soft pop station. He looked dead at his mother and smiled wide as he changed it to his own radio station, and cranked it. The timing was perfect, "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner was in full swing. His mother shot daggers with her next look.

"Very funny, Adam. Do you really want me to call a babysitter?" Adam turned the volume down considerably and looked at Kate with sad eyes, he had his brother's ability to pull a very heart wrenching face when necessary, though it was debatable whether or not Sam was better at it. Kate Milligan's face showed her defeat.

"O.K., just keep the volume _down_." Had Adam known what would happen next, he would never have let her walk out the door. Outside in the morning fog, bloodshot eyes watched their front door.


	6. Chapter 6 Phone Call

Chapter 6- Phone Call

Adam was pacing back and forth, It had been _hours_. At first, he had assumed that his mother had gotten distracted talking to Mrs. Roth again. But time kept ticking, and he hadn't heard anything from his mother. Adam had tried her cell phone a dozen times, with no response. He had called all of her friends, but no one had seen her. He couldn't even reach his father. This was a nightmare. Adam was fourteen years old and felt completely alone. His knife spun faster and faster in his hands until the blade was just a grey blur. The sun was going down, Adam had no other choice. He picked up the phone to call the police, but it started ringing in his hand. Adam answered, relieved, assuming it was his mother. He was wrong.

"Mom?" Adam sounded much younger than he was. But instead of his mother's voice, he heard a raspy, uneasy laugh. "...Dad?" Adam desperately hoped that it was his dad messing with him, but he didn't believe so. The laughter seemed to catch, disturbed, at the mention of his father. This was making no sense, Adam felt the fear in him sink into the background. It was strange, he knew he was still scared, but he found he could function. There was a problem here, and shaking in his boots wasn't going to solve it. When Adam spoke next, he sounded more like his father than a scared fourteen year old. "Who is this?" Adam was surprised at the gruffness in his own voice. The laughter ceased.

"You're never going to see your pretty little Mommy again...or big, bad Daddy." Had Adam been watching a movie with a script like that, he would have laughed at the cheesiness of it But hearing it then, from such a voice. Jack Nicholson had nothing on that voice. This was not the type of person that lived indoors or gossiped about the neighbors. This was either an insane drifter, or a psycho killer. Either way it was obvious the man had his mom.

"Where is my mom? And who the _Hell _are you?" Adam gripped his knife until his knuckles turned white.

"Listen, kid, I'll make this easy on you. Take the most direct path into the woods. About fifty feet in will be a cell phone. When you get there, answer it. Bring any one with you and you will be close enough to hear your mother's last scream." Adam could almost hear the maniacal smile the man must have been wearing. It was obvious that he wanted his victims alone, scared, and without a snowball's chance in Hell.

"If you so much as _think _of hurting my mom..." Adam couldn't even finish the thought. Far from being scared, he was ready to punch something. Then the laughter started up again, and the man hung up. Adam fought back angry tears. He ran up to his room, laced up his boots, and sprinted into the woods. He knew it was a trap, that he was going up against a man that didn't give a rat's ass about a human life, but he'd be damned if he let that freak take his mom away.

The woods were dark, the sun had almost completely set. Adam was cussing under his breathe, wondering why anyone would have picked his small family to mess with. His mother was a _nurse_ for Christ-sake, she had never done any one harm, and he was barely old enough to be considered a teenager. He almost ran right past the phone, luckily it had a very loud ring. He stopped, and found his mother's purse hanging from a tree branch. Within it, her cell phone was ringing. "Bastard." Adam quietly cursed the man. He answered the phone.

"Well look at this. So you've finally decided to show. Last decision you'll ever make kiddo." The voice on the phone sounded delighted, and scarier than when it had been angry. Adam heard rustling in the underbrush around him, and then, faintly, the sound of his mother crying. There was once again insane laughter coming from over the phone.

"Listen, you sick freak, I came just like you told me to. Now I've never done anything to you, and neither has my mom. So let her go." Adam hadn't thought that it would be that easy, but it was worth a shot. It seemed to upset the man though.

"I'm the freak? Oh, Adam, Adam, Adam, now you _have_ done something to me. You've hurt my feelings." More and more, Adam was thinking that this guy was off his rocker. The rustling in the bushes seemed to be all around him. Then total silence.

A small noise from behind made Adam turn around. There was a tall, dark silhouette. "Well now, if it isn't the Winchester Bastard."


	7. Chapter 7 If You Want Blood

Chapter Seven- If You Want Blood (You've Got It)

The moon was at the man's back, making it impossible for Adam to see his face. This guy chilled his bones and boiled his blood at the same time. Adam wasn't sure of why the guy was here, or what his problem was, but he was sure that whatever it was, it had something to do with his father.

"You know, I've had to wait. I've waited _weeks_ for Daddy dear and his friends to be far enough away. I guess that's alright now though. Because tonight, I get to see what color your insides are, and then I'll show them to your mommy." Adam stopped himself from grabbing his knife. He didn't want to set this guy off...yet.

"So, what part in the monologue do you explain to the helpless victim, your reasoning in all this." Adam managed to keep his tone sarcastic, stalling as long as possible while he tried to figure a way out of the situation. Though he wouldn't admit it to himself, he was extremely curious now. He had never really found out much about his dad's life. He knew music and car preferences, and he had been told his dad was a mechanic. But Adam had never _really_ known anything major about his dad, but this guy seemed to. What kind of crap had John gotten into?

"Very good, kiddo. Stiff upper lip and all that. But something tells me, you have no idea what's going on." The tall figure took a step forward. Adam caught the smell of whiskey in the air, and saw the gleam of metal in the man's hand. "I'm a good guy, so I'm gonna give you one last bedtime story before I cut the eyes out off your head." Adam listened, distracted by the distant sounds of his mother screaming out for help. This was too much. But the man was walking closer, Adam could almost get a good look at him. "I was a hero, and so was my wife. We'd been married for thirty years. Survived a hell of a lot more than most, and we'd done it together. We were good people, social people. Well, as social as hunters can be." At this point, the man was slowly circling Adam. Through the shafts of light between branches, Adam finally saw his face. It was scarred and dirty, unshaven with dark circles under his eyes. The eyes themselves were a pale blue, and so bloodshot that it looked unnatural." Until _your _daddy got her killed." It sounded almost sing-song. Adam felt goosebumps rise along his arms. What had his father done? Adam's mind was filled with an image of John Winchester's eyes. John had ancient eyes, who knew what horrors he had seen.

The man stopped his rotation around Adam. "Do you want to know how? I was standing right there, but he had the book. Damned demon in my wife, he saw it as an opportunity. 'Let's get information' He took too long. Must've messed up the Devil's trap too, 'cause it shouldn't have been able to-" At this, the man showed so much sadness that Adam really, truly felt bad for him. Even though a lot of what he was saying made no sense. "It was so fast. She suddenly had my knife, and...and we watched as my wife got cut open by the thing inside her. Because your daddy didn't say 50 little words of Latin five minutes sooner." At this point Adam was completely did understand though, that this guy blamed his dad for the death of his wife. And apparently the man hadn't spoken to another person in a while either, because he kept talking. "Johnny boy has one weakness, and ain't it fitting. He took my family from me, so now I'll take his. Starting with his bastard, then his bitch, and I'll just go up the ladder from there." Adam assumed that 'up the ladder' meant John himself. He could contain it no longer, his mother called out his name pitifully in the distance.

He pulled out his knife. "You're not going to do anything to any one psycho."


	8. Chapter 8 Red Woods

Chapter Eight- Red Woods

Adam had been in fights before. He had even broken someone's nose, but nothing could have prepared him for this. They had only been fighting for a few minutes now, but Adam didn't think he could keep it up much longer. The man was larger than him, and had a longer knife, though Adam had managed to avoid getting cut so far. It was scarier than he could have imagined. He had watched so many movies with choreographed fights in them, but none had captured the raw desperation of two people trying not to die. He probably wouldn't have survived thirty seconds had he not been so small and fast. It also helped that his opponent was obviously out of his mind. The hunter clearly had not slept in awhile and, if the smell was any indication, he was drunk. Adam silently thanked God for alcohol.

At the beginning, Adam had almost run in fear at this maniacs battle cry. A strangled bellow that showed clear down the man's throat. Adam had been fighting the urge to run the entire time, the only thing keeping him grounded was the sound of his mother's screams echoing through the trees. If only he could get this guy's knife, or knock him out long enough to call the cops...

Adam could see the man was ready to collapse, but was pushing forward on pure rage. It was scary to see. Then he heard a particularly loud cry from his mother, and stopped for a fraction of a second. The next thing he knew, his abdomen was on fire. He didn't need to look down to know that he had a large gash in his side. Adam jumped back, causing the man to lunge further than his balance could stand. Adam slashed across the hunter's hand in an attempt to disarm him.

Adam felt sickened at the sudden resistance he felt against his knife. He saw blood run freely, spilling more than Adam could have anticipated. But the man didn't drop his knife. Adam wasn't prepared for this. He backed up quickly, but the man was right on top of him. The dagger raised dramatically, a strange light gleaming in those sick, red and blue eyes. Until the sound of gunfire resounded.

The woods were silent for the first time that night. Adam barely kept hold of his knife. He looked around, seeing another tall figure, standing in the direction that the first man had come from, slightly bent as he held a large rifle at the hunter. Adam allowed himself to be relieved for just a second. Until he looked at the hunter he was fighting, still standing, knife in hand. The first shot had just been a warning, and apparently this guy wasn't ready to quit yet. He looked even crazier than before, if it was possible. In an instant the hunter dropped his knife and pulled a handgun out, apparently determined to drag as many down with him as possible. Before he managed to even aim the gun at Adam, another explosion signaled the second fire from the shadowy figure off to their left. This time was no warning, and the aim was perfect.

As the demented man in front of him fell to the ground, bloody on both sides of his head, Adam felt sick. He couldn't help but stare at the dead man, at the ground splattered with blood. Adam was reminded for a moment of a Picasso painting, before a wave of dizziness took over him.

Adam fell to his knees, feeling blood seeping into his jeans. Cold blood from the ground, warm blood from the body next to him, even blood running down from his own side. He put a hand against his lower ribs, and understood why he was so dizzy. He needed to stop the bleeding. Now. But his mother still called our his name, threatening a man that was already dead, screaming out in the darkness. Adam heard running steps. How long had it been since the last shot was fired? It had only been a few moments, though the blood had driven those thoughts from his mind. It was then that the gunman reached him. Adam looked up at the man's face. At his father's worried face.


	9. Chapter 9 Sweet Child Of Mine

Chapter Nine- Sweet Child of Mine

The floor creaked, and Adam bolted upright in bed, pulling his knife out from under his pillow. He looked around wildly for a moment. He felt a surge of fear run through him at the sight of someone in his room. He nearly jumped at the man before his brain processed who he was seeing. It was John Winchester, standing near the foot of his bed. Once Adam overcame the panic attack, he felt a sharp, throbbing pain in his side. He placed his hand on his ribs and felt rough bandaging. He looked back up to his father, confused.

"Did... did we go to the hospital?" His father walked closer, with a pained expression on his face. Adam noticed that John's arms were tinted red nearly up to the elbows. "What- what happened?" Adam couldn't take his eyes off of the redness. He felt _so _tired, and was having trouble collecting his thoughts. The color in the room seemed to keep fading in and out. His dad was there, but didn't look tough or bad-ass. John Winchester looked scared.

"Adam, you should lay still. You'll tear your stitches." His voice retained the customary militant edge, but Adam heard worry in his tone.

"S-stitches?" Adam's brain seemed to still be asleep. He looked back down to the bandages, then at his father's bloodstained hands. John came over and knelt next to his youngest son.

"Adam, you had a few smaller cuts, but he really got you across the side. You lost so much blood..." John trailed off. He looked over Adam, as if making completely sure the boy was alright. He seemed to decide so, because he took a deep breath and seemed to compose himself, "Alright, you need to go back to sleep. I'll be back to change your bandages in a few hours. John patted Adam's arm lightly, and made to leave.

"Dad, what about Mom?" Adam tried to sit up again, he needed to see his mother. How could it have taken him this long to think about it? His brain started replaying her screams from the night before. She had screamed so much, why hadn't he been faster? Guilt hit him so hard, he started to feel dizzy again. He looked up at John.

"She's fine. She's downstairs making herself coffee." John smiled, but pressed Adam down into the bed again. "Now, you can't afford any more blood loss. Lay down." This calmed Adam down, and he fell back asleep. When he did, John took the knife still in his hand and placed it carefully down on the night stand. He placed another blanket on his son and left the room silently.

Adam didn't wake up for several more hours. When he did, he found himself surrounded by his mother and father. Adam smiled sleepily, until he noticed his mother's face. She had a black eye, and the bright, red skin of someone who just finished crying. He propped himself up slightly to get a better look at her. She had her hands clasped up in almost a prayer position under her chin. It was what she did whenever she was worried. Adam looked at her wrists. They were bruised, and had the skin rubbed raw and bloody in some parts. She had obviously been tied down by her wrists in the woods. Adam nearly started crying looking at her, she had been beaten up and pulled out into the night, so she could hear her son get killed. Adam believed right then that it was his fault. If he had not been born, or if he had not begged so much to meet his father, that man would never have found her. She would not have had to go through what she did.

The overpowering guilt hit Adam again. Trying to be a Winchester had nearly gotten his mother killed.

The next day, when Adam was allowed out of bed, John brought up the events in the woods. "Hell, I can't lie to you. I can't avoid it, and you're about old enough to know, if you want. Adam, if you want me to, I'll tell you. About my life, and your family, But this- well let's just say you might not be able to have a normal life after I tell you." John looked tired, and sad. Adam didn't know the man very well, but he could tell that his dad didn't want to tell him.

"Do you want me to have a normal life? Does Mom?" Adam's tone was almost confrontational. His father looked up at him.

"Adam, we both do. That's why we've never told you." Adam couldn't discern the look on John's face, he was too troubled by the thought of his mother's mangled wrists.

"If that's what you both want, then don't tell me." John looked at him, thinking hard. He smiled, and even seemed to retain his good mood until he left the next morning. Once again leaving with a promise that if Adam ever needed him, all it took was a phone call.

Once John had left, Adam walked up to his mother and gave her as big of a bear hug as his stitches allowed. "Mom, I swear I will always be there to protect you."

After that Adam stopped fighting at school, and decided he would be a doctor. He put his knife away in the back of the closet, because it upset his mother. He was alright with hiding away the Winchester in him, if it helped his mom forget about that night, and it certainly seemed to.

Adam saw his father a few months later on his fifteenth birthday. They drank a beer together and discussed cars. That was the last time they ever saw each other alive.

Several years later, Adam got a phone call while at college. He was told that his mother was missing. He rushed back to Windom. He went straight to his mother's house, to get his knife from the closet, he was surprised when he found his mom in his room. It didn't take him too long to figure out that it wasn't really Kate Milligan.

The ghouls had lied to Sam and Dean. Adam had not died screaming, he had died fighting.

When Adam Milligan was only nineteen years old he died, for a little while at least...


End file.
